Bowhunter Denny Baxter took this outstanding buck, which still had remnant patches of velvet on its rack, in Grayson County. Taxidermy by Martin Meredith. Photo by Bill Cooper

Late July and early August is a special time of the year for most bowhunters across the Bluegrass State. Not only are whitetail bucks nearing their peak with regard to antler growth, but they are still in highly predictable summertime movement patterns. In most areas of the state, deer often become quite visible, especially around daybreak and sunset, as they venture out into open agricultural fields to feed. Without a doubt, this is a hunter's best opportunity to locate big bucks.

Falls of Rough bowhunter Denny Baxter has a regular scouting route he travels each year while glassing fields in and around his Grayson County hunting area. Last summer, during the last week of July, he spotted two bucks feeding in a small patch of clover bordering one end of a large hardwood hollow. One of the bucks, an impressive 140-class 8-pointer, would have qualified as a great trophy for any hunter. However, in this particular case, the buck was completely overshadowed by its companion.

"The other buck's rack had an incredible combination of height and width," Baxter said. "The antlers were still in velvet, which I knew made the rack seem even larger, but even so, there was no doubt in my mind that it was one of the biggest whitetails I had ever seen."

Over the following weeks, until the opening of the early September bow season, Baxter scouted the area every afternoon. Amazingly, he managed to locate the two bucks on over half of the outings.

"The deer were always in the clover or a nearby bean field," Baxter related. "Even though I didn't see either of the bucks during the final three days of scouting, I still felt pretty confident about my chances."

The hunter had positioned his stand near several well-used trails in the hardwoods, approximately 100 yards from the edge of the clover. By all accounts, the situation seemed ideal. Unfortunately, the big whitetail remained the one missing part of the puzzle. As the days slowly slipped by, Baxter's initial confidence was replaced with frustration.

"I hunted that location for 15 straight days, morning and evening, without seeing the buck a single time," Baxter said. "Naturally, I received a lot of free advice, most of which centered around the assumption that the buck had somehow detected me. However, I never believed that was the problem, simply because I was seeing other deer on a regular basis. In fact, out of eight different bucks spotted while scouting the clover field, I had seen seven; the big deer was the only one missing. Even the 8-pointer, the big deer's prior constant companion, had appeared twice."

Because of several roads in the area, the hunter had often worried about the buck getting hit by a vehicle. While that certainly would have explained the deer's absence, he immediately ruled out the possibility.

"If a buck of that size had been killed by a vehicle, the news would have spread all over the county," Baxter said. "I finally decided that for some unknown reason, the deer had totally changed its movement pattern. Instead of hunting the following afternoon, I began scouting the surrounding farmland."

That decision provided an immediate dividend. Late that afternoon, the hunter spotted the big buck in another bean field two farms away.